


Smoke and Mirrors

by cheshirecait



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-07-07
Packaged: 2018-07-21 23:40:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7409752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheshirecait/pseuds/cheshirecait
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy catches a glimpse of a terrifying version of himself in the mirror one night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smoke and Mirrors

“You need to get some sleep Percy. You need to be alert and ready for anything.” At this point he wasn't sure if that was his own conscious telling himself that or an echo of his party members in his mind. It didn't really matter at that point because he found himself walking the halls of Whitestone towards his workshop.  The candle he carried casted flickering shadows that played trick on Percy’s eyes. It made him wonder if he should listen to his inner voice and head back to bed but he pushed on, trying to be as quiet as possible as to not wake anyone.

Walking passed an open door something caught his eye, an ornate mirror. He had seen this mirror hundreds, if not thousands of times but it wasn’t necessarily the mirror but what was reflected in it that made his stop dead in his tracks. It was an image of himself, but it wasn’t. The reflection had blackened eyes and a sinister smile. Smoke began surround his reflection and it almost appeared to seep out of the glass itself.

 

Percy Blinked.

 

When he opened his eyes his reflection seemed to have returned to normal. No smoke, just Percy.

“Pull yourself together Percival” he said under his breath “it was just a trick of the light”.

He continued down the hall towards his workshop at a quicker pace, in his mind he thought perhaps he would feel safer there than if he were to return to his room.

* * *

  
Percy awoke on his workbench like he has done countless times over the course of a few years. He was hoping his sleep would of been more restful than it was but his dreams were plagued with the image of the reflection he caught in the mirror. He knew that looking at a mirror in the dark could cause the mind to warp the image in it. Could it be that? Could it be something else? Had he finally lost his mind? Has his lack of sleep finally caught up to him?

 

“Don’t tell me you’ve pulled an all nighter again Percival” Percy jumped when he heard the voice turned around. Vax was standing in the doorway looking in. 

“I couldn’t sleep anyway, I figured I might as well tinker something instead of staring at the ceiling”

“So what did you make this time?”

“I started planning out a few things but nothing really worth mentioning yet” He rubbed his eyes and slipped on his glasses. His sketchbook was on his desk, still open to the page where he had quick ideas and scribbles of gadgets that were floating around in his head. “But I will definitely show the group once I have something built”

Vax gave a small nod “Remember we need you in your best condition, if a dragon where to attack we can’t have you half asleep while fighting it” Before Percy could say anything the rogue turned around and disappeared down the hall.

Leaning back on his desk Percy’s eyes drifted back over towards his sketchbook. He flipped the page over to reveal a drawing he did in his sleepless state. It was a sketch of his reflection; blackened eyes and smoke surrounding him. He figured that’s must of been what he looked like when Orthax still had his hold on him.  

He closed the book and rubbed his eyes again. “It was just a trick of the light” he told himself. He wasn’t entirely sure he believed that.

* * *

 

 

**** Percy found himself staring at the ceiling again that night. Sleep didn’t find him easy, and when he finally started drifting off images of smoke haunted his dreams. He layed in bed for what felt like hours upon hours. Grabbing his glasses and a candle as he gave into habit and made his way towards the workshop.  

Percy walked down the hallways again, he had almost taken another path to the workshop just to avoid the room with the mirror but figured that proving that there was nothing there would be the best way to put his mind at ease. 

Approaching the room he slowed his pace and pered in. Nothing. His reflection was normal but as he started to walk away he heard a familiar voice coming from with in the room.

“Percival”

“Now I’m hearing things” he sighed as he stepped into the room. “Or is that you Scanlan? Vax? If that’s one of you this isn’t funny”

He searched the room but didn’t find anyone.Turning to leave he heard the voice again.

“Percival de Rolo” 

He felt a cold vise like grip around both of his wrists. He looked down and saw inky black smoke wrapping up his arms. He tried to yell for help but he felt the smoke wrap around his neck cutting off his wind pipe. The smoke spoke again.

“Did you really think you could escape me that easy? Whether you were happy with the end result or not we had a deal. A deal that you didn’t fully honor. Your payment if overdue Percy. I expect interest now”

Percy felt himself being pulled toward the mirror. The more he tried to fight the tighter the grip got.  He was pulled through the glass in the mirror itself into what seemed to be another room behind the reflection. He fell to the floor as the smoke retreated. Looking up into the mirror he saw the room he was just in. There stood Orthax. 

“You? No! Let me out!” Percy began hitting the glass but each hit just gave off a dull thud.

The smoke that made up the demon began to swirl and wrap around itself until it began to take a human shape. Percy watched in horror as before him an almost perfect copy of himself began to manifest before his very eyes.  

“Vax! Vex! Keyleth! Scanlanl! Grog! Cassandra! Someone!” He began to yell again but the demon laughed and gave him a smirk. 

“They can’t hear you while you’re in that plane. But don’t worry, I’ll let you out once I feel like we’re even”

Orthax walked out the room and closed the door behind him leaving Percy alone in the mirror. 


End file.
